cultivates quality From page 32 by trom the great Lonsdale thoroughfare. It has the good fortune, or bad, depending on vour point of view, to be adjacent to the Lath Street bus stop, which provides a steady stream of transient personalities tor Krua diners to watch and for the restaurant to draw upon. Arua Thai is a small cave of Thai intormatity on a street thar has ver co develop a repu- tation for adventurousness of any description. Step in and sample an unat- fected slice of Southeast Asia. If you arrive early, sit by the bar and leaf through the travel brochures oudining the natural wonders of Thailand’s east and west coasts. Best digested with a chilled lager and perhaps a plate of Gai Saray (barbecued chicken in peanut sauce). According to thase brochures, Thailand is a place of brilliant white beaches, palm trees, azure blue waters and gentle and accommodat- ing tolk. And the food. Rich curries — red, green and yellow — thick with coconut milk and suttused with kaffir lime, lemon grass, sacred basil, marsh mint ... Alas, you'll have to make do with the food. The beach- es, palm trees and azure blue waters require a little more investment. But for tonight, the food is adventure erough. At the Krua Thai, the restaurant remains truc to its inal focus of providing a wef chosen summary of Thai gastronomy at a price chat most North Shore folk can easily afford. Krua’s menu is compara- tively small for a Southeast Asian affair. Its sections include Currics (seafood, chicken, beef, pork and vegetables are combined with thick red curries, green and yellow coconut milk and other ingredients in such dish- es as Kang Panang and Kang Ka-Ree); Poultry, Beef and MISSING SOMETHING? Pascal, the great French physicist said, “There is a God Shaped Vacuum in the heart of every man...” Find out more every Sunday at 10:45am at DELBROOK Baptist CHURCH 515 West Windsor Rd, North Vancouver, or call 985-4011 Mon - Fri 9am - Ipm north shore news ____ RD INING NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge KRUA CREW ... Owner Prapat Yorkhant (right) and chef Phomma Chuahorm in their Krua Thai restaurant on North Vancouver City's Lonsdale Avenue. Pork (some excellent stir-tries here: Pad King, Pad Preao Waan along with Swimming Rama, Gai Pad Med Ma- Mueng and other exotic- sounding plates); Seafood (big on prawns here: stir-tried with ginger and garlic; pan fried with curry paste and basil; mixed with other seafood on a sizzling hot pan); Fried Rice and Noodles (add in ground peanuts, crispy egg noodles, vermicelli, and Thai Gravy to the more traditional stir-fry components); Vegetables and Vegetarian (stir fried spinach with oyster sauce, tofia with spicy sauce, garlic, lemon grass, coriander, Thai basil and other Thai herbs and spices to bring Oriental life to meatless dishes). Each section includes four or five dishes, so there is little chance of getting lost in exotic abundance. The restaurant also stocks some incendiary soups (hot and sour options can be ordered in degrees of spiciness ranging from mild co hot with four exclamation marks — heed those marks, partners, they are akin to sticks of dyna- mite). For a good Thai intro con- sider the Haw Moak Gai Ma- Praow. oe 202 ime Valid Sunday to Thursday after 5:00 pm. Order any two dinner entrees (valued up to $13.99 each) and pay only $16.99! P.S. the maximum discount is $10.99 per couple. If you order entrees valucd greater than $15.99, you still enjoy ‘the disconnt of $10.99 per couple. oe ee your server upon arrival and enjoy *” Dinner For Tw J ust $1692